at
she was going to bed; but instead of that, she wrapped herself in a long
white veil, and went down a secret staircase, and set off all by herself
to find the Witch.

But when she got as far as the same fatal orange tree, and saw it
covered with flowers and fruit, she stopped and began to gather some
of the oranges--and then, putting down her basket, she sat down to eat
them. But when it was time to go on again the basket had disappeared
and, though she looked everywhere, not a trace of it could she find.
The more she hunted for it, the more frightened she got, and at last she
began to cry. Then all at once she saw before her the Yellow Dwarf.

"What's the matter with you, my pretty one?" said he. "What are you
crying about?"

"Alas!" she answered; "no wonder that I am crying, seeing that I have
lost the basket of cake that was to help me to get safely to the cave of
the Fairy of the Desert."

"And what do you want with her, pretty one?" said the little monster,
"for I am a friend of hers, and, for the matter of that, I am quite as
clever as she is."

"The Queen, my mother," replied the Princess, "has lately fallen into
such deep sadness that I fear that she will die; and I am afraid that
perhaps I am the cause of it, for she very much wishes me to be married,
and I must tell you truly that as yet I have not found anyone I consider
worthy to be my husband. So for all these reasons I wished to talk to
the Fairy."

"Do not give yourself any further trouble, Princess," answered the
Dwarf. "I can tell you all you want to know better than she could. The
Queen, your mother, has promised you in marriage----"

"Has promised _me!_" interrupted the Princess. "Oh! no. I'm sure she has
not. She would have told me if she had. I am too much interested in
the matter for her to promise anything without my consent--you must be
mistaken."

"Beautiful Princess," cried the Dwarf suddenly, throwing himself on his
knees before her, "I flatter myself that you will not be displeased
at her choice when I tell you that it is to _me_ she has promised the
happiness of marrying you."

"You!" cried Bellissima, starting back. "My mother wishes me to marry
you! How can you be so silly as to think of such a thing?"

"Oh! it isn't that I care much to have that honor," cried the Dwarf
angrily; "but here are the lions coming; they'll eat you up in three
mouthfuls, and there will be an end of you and your pride."

And, indeed, at that mome